1. Field of invention
The present invention relates to a terminal structure for relatively small electric current which is used in the electrical connection of various equipment mounted in an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a substrate-use terminal structure using a rectangular rod and press-fitted and held in a terminal holding wall of a connector housing.
2. Related art
Conventionally, various terminal structures have been known as substrate-use terminal structures using rectangular rods.
In a conventional substrate-use terminal structure 51 using a rectangular rod, which is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, substrate-use terminals 52 formed of rectangular rods are respectively press-fitted and held in a plurality of terminal holding holes 4 provided in a terminal holding wall 3 of a connector housing 2. Two pairs of first retaining projections 54, which are respectively formed so as to be press-fitted to both side walls 5 of the terminal holding hole 4, are formed on both sides of a retaining section 53 of the substrate-use terminal 52 which is held in the terminal holding hole 4.
More specifically, an electrical contact portion 55, which has its height increased by being subjected to forging by being pressed from its lateral directions, is formed in a front portion of the substrate-use terminal 52, and is adapted to be electrically connected to an electrical contact portion of a mating connector. Further, an electrical connection portion 56 which retains the cross-sectional shape of the rectangular rod is formed in a rear portion of the substrate-use terminal 52, and is passed through a circuit pattern of a substrate 8 mounted on the rear surface of the connector housing 2 and is soldered thereto.
With the substrate-use terminal structure 51 using a rectangular rod in the above-described construction, a C--C section including the first retaining projections 54 located in the retaining section 53 of the substrate-use terminal 52 is shown in FIG. 9. If this substrate-use terminal 52 is press-fitted into the terminal holding hole 4 located in the terminal holding wall 3 of the connector housing 2, the first retaining projections 54 are fixed by being interference-fitted by means of a lap-fitting allowance with respect to both side walls 5 of the terminal holding hole 4.
However, with the conventional substrate-use terminal structure 51 using a rectangular rod, since the lap-fitting allowance is provided only in the horizontal direction between the first retaining projections and both side walls 5 of the terminal holding hole 4, there has been a problem in that the substrate-use terminal 52 has play in the vertical direction, and the holding force declines due to the play.